Toxicroak

[Saria]

[OVERVIEW]

Toxicroak's bulk is not particularly good, and it lacks the raw power to be a threat without setting up; however, it is an important Pokemon in the UnderUsed tier thanks to the combination of its unique typing, Dry Skin, and its ability to threaten common defensive cores. Toxicroak's resistance to common attacking types such as Dark, Fighting, and Rock and its immunity to Water-type moves improve its ability to switch in and set up massively. Additionally, Toxicroak's movepool allows it to work as either a physical or a special sweeper, which makes it fairly versatile and unpredictable.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Low Kick
move 4: Sucker Punch / Ice Punch / Knock Off
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to allow it to break through defensive Pokemon. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's main STAB move because it hits extremely hard, especially at +2, and the 30% poison chance can be used to try to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks before attempting to sweep. Drain Punch provides good coverage with Gunk Shot and helps Toxicroak stay alive for longer in certain scenarios. Alternatively, Low Kick can be used to hit Pokemon such as Mega Aggron and Swampert significantly harder. Sucker Punch makes Toxicroak harder to revenge kill and provides useful coverage combined with its STAB moves. Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to hit Pokemon such as Gligar, Nidoqueen, and Salamence for super effective damage. Knock Off helps against Cresselia, Reuniclus, Jellicent, and Doublade, and it can also be used to cripple a huge portion of the metagame. Earthquake can be used, as it covers both Doublade and Nidoqueen and OHKOes defensive Arcanine at +2.

Set Details
========

The EVs maximize Toxicroak's Attack and Speed. A Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and Mamoswine and Speed tie with Nidoking, Heracross, and offensive Suicune. However, an Adamant nature can be used to hit significantly harder, but it also makes Toxicroak significantly easier to revenge kill. Toxicroak needs Life Orb's power boost to help it break through some walls, but Black Sludge can be used for slightly more longevity.

Usage Tips
========

This set should be used mainly as a wallbreaker. Analyzing the opponent's team during Team Preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can set up on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon for free, as well as on offensive variants as long as it is healthy and doesn't switch directly into their coverage moves. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught, and Mamoswine to create opportunities to set up. Using Gunk Shot or Knock Off without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert, can help it sweep later on.

Team Options
========

Stealth Rock helps Toxicroak wear down the opponent's team, and a good portion of its checks are weak to it. Swampert, Krookodile, and Bronzong make for good setters and can deal with some of Toxicroak's checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia, and Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support makes running an Adamant nature and using a coverage move over Sucker Punch on Toxicroak less risky. Hydreigon can deal with some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Swampert, Reuniclus, and Doublade, and Toxicroak threatens some of Hydreigon's checks, which can be taken advantage of with double switches or U-turn. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates for Toxicroak, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence and they both learn U-turn, allowing them to create chances for Toxicroak to safely switch in and set up or to weaken some of its most important checks. Whimsicott is a good teammate for Toxicroak, because it checks Dragon-type Pokemon, Swampert, and Krookodile and can use Stun Spore to cripple some of the checks it shares with Toxicroak, such as Crobat and Mega Aerodactyl.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Sludge Bomb / Sludge Wave
move 3: Vacuum Wave / Focus Blast
move 4: Dark Pulse / Hidden Power Ice / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Nasty Plot boosts Toxicroak's Special Attack, which helps it beat some defensive Pokemon. Sludge Bomb is a strong, reliable STAB move that has a nice 30% poison chance, which can be used to wear down Toxicroak's checks and counters. Sludge Wave is slightly stronger, but it only has a 10% chance of poisoning. Vacuum Wave is mainly used for its priority, preventing Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Krookodile from checking this set reliably. Dark Pulse hits Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon that either are bulky enough to easily handle Toxicroak's STAB moves or are immune to them, such as Cresselia, Reuniclus, and Doublade; however, the former easily survives a +2 Dark Pulse if healthy. Hidden Power Ice allows Toxicroak to break through Gligar and Nidoqueen, which resist both of its STAB types and are bulky enough to handle Dark Pulse, and can OHKO Salamence if it is caught switching in. Focus Blast is by far Toxicroak's strongest move; at +2, it OHKOes Swampert, Porygon2, Snorlax, and even Blissey after Stealth Rock damage and does massive damage to anything that doesn't resist it. However, its low accuracy makes it fairly unreliable, and Toxicroak lacks the bulk to reliably deal with misses.

Set Details
========

The EVs maximize Toxicroak's Special Attack and Speed. A Timid nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and Speed tie with Nidoking, Heracross, and offensive Suicune. However, if you aren't worried about those Pokemon, a Modest nature can be used to boost Toxicroak's power. Life Orb's boost helps Toxicroak break through defensive Pokemon such as Reuniclus and Snorlax, but Black Sludge can be used to increase its longevity.

Usage Tips
========

The main purpose of this set is wallbreaking; however, considering Swords Dance sets are significantly more common, this Toxicroak set can be used as a lure for Doublade, Reuniclus, or physical walls in general. Analyzing the opponent's team during Team Preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can set up on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon and Umbreon for free, and if played carefully, it can set up on offensive Water-types too. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught, and Mamoswine to create opportunities to set up. Using Sludge Bomb without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia, can help it sweep later on.

Team Options
========

Stealth Rock helps Toxicroak break through the opponent's team and wears down some of its checks, such as Crobat and Salamence. Swampert, Krookodile, and Bronzong can set up Stealth Rock to support Toxicroak, can deal with some of its checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia, and Mega Aerodactyl, and appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support reduces the risk of running a Modest nature and makes it easier for Toxicroak to drop Vacuum Wave for Focus Blast. Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Lucario and Mienshao, can work alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of its ability to wear down or beat Pokemon such as Doublade, Reuniclus, and Cresselia. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates for Toxicroak, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence in and they both learn U-turn, allowing them to create chances for Toxicroak to safely switch in and set up or to weaken some of its most important checks.

[SET]
name: Bulky Croak
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Sucker Punch / Ice Punch / Knock Off
item: Black Sludge
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to decent levels, which is necessary to break through defensive cores. Drain Punch is the main attacking move of this set, because when it is combined with the bulk investment and Swords Dance, Toxicroak's longevity increases drastically. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's secondary STAB move and its strongest move. Sucker Punch is for priority, which is extremely important on a set as slow as this one. Alternatively, Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to beat Gligar and punish Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Salamence trying to switch in for free, while Knock Off is good against Pokemon such as Doublade, Cresselia, and Reuniclus and allows Toxicroak to cripple most of the Pokemon that switch into it.

Set Details
========

The given EVs maximize Toxicroak's Attack and give it a good amount of bulk. The HP investment drastically improves Toxicroak's ability to deal with or switch into certain Pokemon, such as offensive Suicune, Mega Blastoise, Mega Sharpedo, Feraligatr, and Florges. Additionally, the increased bulk combined with Drain Punch and Swords Dance makes it really hard for some passive teams to defeat Toxicroak. An EV spread with more Speed investment in order to outspeed specific threats, such as Gligar, Cresselia, and Nidoqueen, can be used, but it's not advised to invest too many EVs in that stat, because this set needs the bulk to work properly. Should Speed be an issue, you're better off using an offensive Swords Dance set.
Usage Tips
========

This set might be called Bulky Croak, but even with the HP investment, Toxicroak is relatively frail. However, this set works because of Toxicroak's unique set of resistances, ability to remove Toxic Spikes, and Dry Skin. This set should be used mainly in offensive teams that need help dealing with threats such as Suicune and Mega Sharpedo. Bulky Croak has significantly more longevity than other sets, which is important because as long as Toxicroak has not fainted, it'll passively threaten the opponent's team by deterring them from using Water-type moves recklessly. Gunk Shot or Knock Off can be used without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert.

Team Options
========

A significant number of Toxicroak's checks and counters are weak to Stealth Rock, so Pokemon that can set it up, such as Mamoswine and Swampert, are good teammates. This set struggles against Ground-type Pokemon, so running Pokemon that can play around them to help Toxicroak, such as Hydreigon and Whimsicott, is advised. Most sweepers threatened by Scald or Water-type moves work well alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of its ability to deal with some Water-type Pokemon and deter the opponent from using Scald as long as it has not fainted. Some of these sweepers are Mega Swampert, Lucario, and Mega Sharpedo.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Salac Berry Toxicroak, with Nasty Plot and either Substitute or Endure, is one of the few Pokemon that can successfully use Belch; however, setting up a sweep with this set requires a significant amount of support, and even at +1 Speed, Toxicroak isn't hard to revenge kill. Bulky Croak can use Bulk Up over Swords Dance, but the latter is significantly more reliable in most common scenarios. Toxicroak can use Taunt to stop Pokemon such as Cresselia and Doublade from healing or setting up, but it heavily relies on prediction because these Pokemon can threaten Toxicroak with their STAB moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Cresselia**: Toxicroak cannot OHKO Cresselia with any move, not even at +2 with a Life Orb boost, and Psychic will always OHKO it in return.

**Crobat**: Crobat resists Toxicroak's STAB types, and if healthy it survives both Ice Punch and Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock damage, which means Crobat can easily Roost off damage from unboosted Toxicroak's attacks and OHKO it with Brave Bird or Acrobatics. Note that +2 Sucker Punch doesn't KO Crobat after Stealth Rock but does enough for Brave Bird recoil to finish it off, which allows Toxicroak to trade KOs to support its team.

**Salamence**: Salamence easily survives any move besides Life Orb-boosted Ice Punch or Hidden Power Ice. Additionally, Salamence's combination of Speed, Intimidate, and power means it easily revenge kills Toxicroak.

**Ground-type Pokemon**: Physical Toxicroak sets cannot OHKO defensive Swampert with anything, and Swampert easily KOes it with Earthquake. Gligar walls any set without Ice-type coverage; however, Knock Off cripples it. Nidoqueen is bulky enough to deal with any set without Ice-type coverage or Earthquake, and it OHKOes Toxicroak with Earth Power. Krookodile can switch into any non-Fighting-type STAB move, has Intimidate, and resists Sucker Punch, but Vacuum Wave from the Nasty Plot set can KO at +2 or if Krookodile has taken previous damage. Mamoswine and Nidoking easily check Bulky Croak, as they are faster and easily survive +2 Sucker Punch.

**Doublade**: Sets without Knock Off, Dark Pulse, or Earthquake simply cannot touch Doublade. Sucker Punch does not help against Doublade, as it can simply set up Swords Dance, forcing Toxicroak to win an absurd number of 50-50s against a +6 Doublade in order to do anything.

**Arcanine**: Thanks to Intimidate, Swords Dance Toxicroak cannot OHKO defensive Arcanine with Gunk Shot after Stealth Rock damage. Nasty Plot Toxicroak has an easier time dealing with Arcanine, but without a boost, it won't be able to OHKO. Offensive Arcanine revenge kills any set.

**Fast Pokemon**: Any Pokemon faster than Toxicroak that isn't OHKOed by +2 Sucker Punch or Vacuum Wave, such as Entei or Shaymin, can check Toxicroak. However, note that if they are not able to OHKO Toxicroak, Drain Punch can help it regain some of the HP lost.

 

[Saria]

I think this is done. If anyone seriously suggests Rain Dance support or Assault Vest I quit.

 

[dodmen]

I think the overview could say how it's very effective against balanced builds with common cores like Steel/Fairy/Water (unless their Water is pert), cores where the ground type is Krook, but only decent against offense where it'll likely come in against a Heracross or Blastoise or something and just get a hit off (don't have to say all of that obviously just something along those lines)

On Swords Dance one really good team option is Stun Spore Whimsicott cause it can lure in stuff like Crobat, Rotom-H, possibly Aero and etc, and this way Croak can more easily run a coverage move instead of Sucker Punch.

Somewhere in Team Options and/or Usage Tips for Nasty Plot Croak, it should say how that set should be more of a lure since Toxicroak is SD the vast majority of the time, eg luring Doublade with Dark Pulse.

QC 1/3 after these three.

 

[YABO]

I looked over this whole thing and dodmen's suggestions were pretty much everything I have to add as well.

Some other good team options could be bronzong who lays hazards while struggling with a lot of the passive water types that Toxicroak loves. In turn, Bronzong handles not only Calm Mind Cress (toxic), but also the many flying type checks like Aero and Crobat.

Scarf Hydrei is another good option as a solid Krook check and something that appreciates a teammate that handles a lot of the bulky waters (hydrei admirably beats defensive pert too which is a neat interaction since thats the only one that croak really struggles with). Also checks the CM Psychics mentioned.

In Checks and Counters would it be worth mentioning water types with coverage moves like Ice Beam? Toxicroak really doesn't like facing off against those since it not only limits its recovery, but limits its ability to even beat that pokemon if it is caught on the switch as Croak is likely taking 30% damage or so, depending on spread.

So ya, that's pretty much all I have to add and once everything is implemented I'll give a check :]

 

[Kreme]

OK so far this looks pretty good, however:

• I would definitely say Fire-types in general make good teammates for all the sets and then continue with saying "especially Infernape and Darmanitan, as they learn U-turn" since all Fire-types really love having Croak to abuse their best counters, Fire-types are also able to weaken / remove some of Toxicroak's best counters / checks like Gligar, Cresselia and Crobat.
• Would definitely change the last bullet point of Usage Tips to something like this: "Toxicroak can setup on most bulky Water-types, bar Swampert and Seismitoad" as mentioning the bulky Water-types it cannot setup on is pretty important imo.
• For the first set, I would definitely expand some of the Team Options, mentioning examples for the first bullet point and especially expanding the second bullet point. I feel when this is written up it should be listing teammates that help each variant of Toxicroak. The current listed example of Mega Aerodactyl is pretty much a globally good teammate imo, as Crobat switches in on most Toxicroak variants with very little concern. The specific teammates should be like Hydreigon for Ice Punch variants as it helps deal with Chandelure and appreciates the removal of Gligar and Salamence, etc.
• For the second set, Moves should probably be have its descriptions re-ordered to have Focus Blast right after Vacuum Wave as opposed to being after HP Ice, as while it is the last slash on the last slot, it's also the second slash on the third slot, meaning it should be after Vacuum Wave instead of after HP Ice.
• Team Options should probably have adjustments, same as the first set.
• For the third set, the third bullet point in Set Details could probably have it changed to something like "An EV spread with more EV investment in Speed in order to outspeed specific threats can be used, but should Speed be an issue, you're better off using Toxicroak's first set." or something along those lines.
• I'd also mention in Usage Tips to keep in mind Toxicroak lacks any Speed investment, so it shouldn't be expected to outspeed Pokemon it normally would.

Otherwise, this looks great. Consider this checked should a QC member agree.

 

[Saria]

I'll implement changes and stuff in the next 24 hours. I was at the beach the last few days with no internet nor willingness to do pokemon things.

 

[Saria]

aigh finally wrote this thing. It was annoying trying to not sound repetitive, cuz all 3 sets are stupid similar in terms of setup opportunities, counters and checks, and coverage

 

[Bouff]

looks good, nice job as usual. QC 3/3

 

[kt3]

amcheck (sorry for things i missed)

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[OVERVIEW]

Toxicroak's bulk is not particularly good and it lacks the raw power to be a threat without setting up,;(change to semicolon) however, it is an important Pokemon in the UnderUsed tier thanks to the combination ofits (not sure about combination of typing) unique typing, Dry Skin,(AC) and ability to threaten common defensive cores. Toxicroak's resistance to common attacking types, such as Dark-, Fighting- and Rock-type, and immunity to Water-type moves improves massively its ability to switch-(RH but leave space)in and set(space)up. Additionally, Toxicroak's movepool allows it to work as either a physical or special sweeper, which makes itToxicroak fairly versatile and unpredictable,(replace comma with period).

[SET]
(remove space)
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Low Kick
move 4: Sucker Punch / Ice Punch / Knock Off
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to allow it to break through defensive Pokemon. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak{'(replace with apostrophe)s main STAB move, because it hits extremely hard, especially at +2, and the 30% poison chance can be used to try to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks before attempting to sweep. Drain Punch is a decent secondary STAB, as it provides good coverage and helps Toxicroak to stay alive for longer in certain scenarios. Low Kick can be used to hit Pokemon such as Mega Aggron and Swampert significantly harder. Sucker Punch makes Toxicroak harder to revenge kill and it provides useful coverage combined with its STAB moves. Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to hit Pokemon such as Gligar, Nidoqueen,(AC) and Salamence for super effective damage. Knock Off helps against Cresselia, Reuniclus, Jellicent and Doublade, and also it can also be used to cripple a huge portion of the metagame. Earthquake can be used, (AC) as it covers both Doublade and Nidoqueen, and additionally at +2,(AC) OHKOes Defensive Arcanine.


Set Details
========

The given EVs maximize Toxicroalk's Attack and Speed. Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and Mamoswine and speedSpeed(space)tie with Nidoking, Heracross,(AC) and offensive Suicune. However, Adamant nature can be used to hit significantly harder, but it makes Toxicroak significantly easier to revenge kill for some Pokemon. Toxicroak needs Life Orb boost to help it break through through some walls, but Black Sludge can be used for slightly more longevity.

Usage Tips
========

This set should be used mainly as a wallbreaker. Analyszing the opponent's team during team preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can set(space)up on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon for free, and can setup on offensive variants as long as it is and doesn't switch directly into their coverage moves. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught and Mamoswine to create opportunities to set(AC)up. Using Gunk Shot or Knock Off without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert, can help it sweep later on.


Team Options
========

Stealth Rock helps Toxicroak wear down the opponent's team and a good portion of its checks that are weak to them entry hazard. Swampert, Krookodile,(AC) and Bronzong can set(space)up Stealth Rock for Toxicroak,;(change to SC) also,(AC) they can deal with some of its checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia and Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support makes running Adamant nature and/or using a coverage move over Sucker Punch on Toxicroak less risky. Hydreigon can deal with some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Swampert, Reuniclus,(AC) and Doublade, and;(SC)In return, Toxicroak threatens some of Hydreigon's checks, which can be taken advantage off with double switches or U-turn. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence in and they both learn U-turn, which means they can create chances for Toxicroak to safely switch in and set(space)up, or weaken some of CToxicroak's most important checks. Whimsicott is a good teammate for Toxicroak, because it checks Dragon-type Pokemon, Swampert,(AC) and Krookodile, and with Stun Spore,(AC) it can cripple some of the checks it shares with Toxicroak, such as Crobat and Mega Aerodactyl.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Sludge Bomb / Sludge Wave
move 3: Vacuum Wave / Focus Blast
move 4: Dark Pulse / Hidden Power Ice / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Nasty Plot boosts Toxicroak's Special Attack, which helps it beat some defensive Pokemon. Sludge Bomb is a strong, reliable STAB move that has a nice 30% poison chance, which can be used to wear down Toxicroak's checks and counters. Sludge Wave is slightly stronger, but it only has 10% chance of inducing poisoning. Vacuum Wave is mainly priority and thanks to it, Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Krookodile cannot reliabley check this set. Dark Pulse hits Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon that are either bulky enough to easily handle Toxicroak's STAB moves or are immune to them, such as Cresselia, Reuniclus and Doublade,;(SC) however,(AC) the former easily survives +2 Dark Pulse if healthy. Hidden Power Ice allows Toxicroak to break through Gligar and Nidoqueen, whoich resists both of its STAB moves and are bulky enough to handle Dark Pulse, and can OHKO Salamence(Salamence???) if caught switching in. Focus Blast is by far Toxicroak's strongest move. At +2, Focus Blast OHKOes Swampert, Porygon2, Snorlax,(AC) and even Blissey after Stealth Rock damage, and it does massive damage to anythingeven to Pokemon that resist it. However, 70% accuracy makes Focus Blast fairly unreliable and Toxicroak lacks the bulk to reliably deal with misses.

Set Details
========

The given EVs maximize Toxicroal's Special Attack and Speed. Timid nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and speedSpeed(space)tie with Nidoking, Heracross,(AC) and offensive Suicune. However, if you aren't worried about those Pokemon, Modest nature can be used to boost Toxicroak's power. Life Orb's boost helps Toxicroak break through defensive Pokemon ,(AC)such as Reuniclus and Snorlax, but Black Sludge can be used to increase its longevity.(is this c/ped and change every "attack" term to SpA?)


Usage Tips
========


The main purpose of this set is wallbreaking,;(SC) however, considering the Sword Dance set is significantly more common, this Toxicroak set can be used as a lure for Doublade, Reuniclus,(AC) or physical walls in general. Analyzing the opponent's team during team preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can setup on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon and Umbreon for free, and if played carefully,(AC) can setup on offensive Water-types. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught and Mamoswine to create opportunities to set(space)up. Using Sludge Bomb without setting up to wear down some Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia, can help it sweep later on.


Team Options
========

Stealth Rock helps Toxicroak break through the opponent's team and they help itis entry hazard helps Toxicroak wear down some of its checks, such as Crobat and Salamence. Swampert, Krookodile,(AC) and Bronzong can set(space0up Stealth Rock to support Toxicroak,;(SC) they can deal with some of its checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia and Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support reduces the risk of running a Modest nature and makes it easier for Toxicroak to drop Vacuum Wave for Focus Blast. Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Lucario and Mienshao, can work alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of its ability to wear down or beat Pokemon such as Doublade, Reuniclus and Cresselia. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence in and they both learn U-turn, which means they can create chances for Toxicroak safely switch in and set(space)up, or weaken some of CToxicroak's most important checks.

[SET]
name: Bulky Croak
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Ice Punch
item: Black Sludge
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to, which is necessary to break through defensive cores. Drain Punch is the main attacking move of this set, because when combined with the bulk investment and Swords Dance, Toxicroak's longevity increases drastically. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's secondary STAB move and its strongest move. Sucker Punch is for priority, which is extremely important on a set as slow as this one. Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to beat Gligar and punish Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Salamence trying to switch-(RH)in for free. Knock Off is good against Pokemon such as Doublade, Cresselia and Reuniclus, and allows Toxicroak to cripple most of the Pokemon that switch into it.


Set Details
========

The given EVs maximize Toxicroak's Attack and give it a good amount of bulk. The HP EVs investment drastically improves Toxicroak's ability to deal with or switch into certain Pokemon, such as offensive Suicune, Mega Blastoise.,(change to comma) Mega Sharpedo, Feraligatr,(AC) and Florges. Additionally, the increased bulk combined with Drain Punch and Sword Dance makes it really hard for some passive teams to defeat Toxicroak. An EV spread with more Speed investment in order to outspeed specific threats, such as Gligar, Cresselia,(AC) and Nidoqueen, can be used, but it's not advised to spend too many EVs in that stat, because this sets needs the bulk to work properly. Should Speed be an issue, you're better off using Toxicroak's standard Sword Dance set

Usage Tips
========

This set might be called Bulky Croak, but eEven with the HP investment,(AC) Toxicroak is relatively frail. However, this set works is because of Toxicroak's unique resistances, ability to remove Toxic Spikes, and Dry Skin. This set should be used mainly in offensive teams that need help dealing with threats such as Suicune and Mega Sharpedo. Bulky CroakThis set has significantly more longevity than the other sets, thatwhich is important because as long as Toxicroak it'll passively threatens the opponent's team, as they foes will not be able to use Water-type moves recklessly. Gunk sShot or Knock Off can be used without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert.


Team Options
========

A significant amount of Toxicroak's checks and counters areis weak to Stealth Rock, so Pokemon that can set them up, such as Mamoswine and Swampert, are good teammates. This set struggles against Ground-type Pokemon, so running Pokemon that can play around them to help Toxicroak, such Hydreigon and Whimsicott, isare advised. Most sweepers threatened by Scald or Water-type moves work well alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of CToxicroak's ability to deal with some Water-type Pokemon and the fact the opponent cannot use Scald without risks as long as it lives. Some of these sweepers are Mega Swampert, Lucario and Mega Sharpedo.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
=============

Salac Berry Toxicroak, with Nasty Plot and either Substitute or Endure is one of the few Pokemon that can successfully use Belch,; (SC) however, setting up a sweep with this set requires a significant amount of support and even at +1 Speed, Toxicroak isn't hard to revenge kill.The set "Bulky Croak" can userun Bulk Up over Sword Dance, but the latter is significantly more reliable on most common scenarios. Toxicroak can use Taunt to stop Pokemon such as Cresselia and Doublade from healing or setting up, but it heavily relies on prediction because these Pokemon can threaten Croak with their STAB moves.


Checks and Counters
===================

**Cresselia**: Toxicroak cannot OHKO Cresselia with any move, not even at +2 with Life Orb boost, and Psychic will always OHKO. Toxicroak.

**Crobat**: Crobat resists Toxicroak's STAB moves, and if healthy,(AC) it survives both Ice Punch and Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock damage, which means Crobat can easily Roost off damage from unboosted Toxicroak and OHKO it with Brave Bird or Acrobatics. Note that +2 Sucker Punch doesn't kill Crobat after Stealth Rock, but does enough for Brave Bird recoil to finish off it off, which allows Toxicroak to trade kills to support its team.

**Salamence**: Salamence easily survives any move besides Life Orb -(AH)boosted Ice Punch or Hidden Power Ice. Additionally, Salamence's combination of Speed, Intimidate and,(AC) and power means it easily revenge kills Toxicroak.

**Ground-type Pokemon**: Physical Toxicroak sets cannot OHKO defensive Swampert with anything and Earthquake easily KOes. Gligar walls any set without Ice-type coverage,;(SC) however, Knock Off cripples it. Nidoqueen is bulky enough to deal with any set without Ice-type coverage or Earthquake, and Earth Power OHKOes Toxicroak. Krookodile can switch into any non-Fighting STAB move, has Intimidate,(AC) and resists Sucker Punch, but Vacuum Wave from the Nasty Plot set can KO at +2 or if Krookodile has taken previous damage.(but... every Pokemon are KOed after previous damage). Mamoswine and Nidoking easily check Bulky Cbulky sets of Toxicroak, as they are faster and easily survive +2 Sucker Punch.

**Doublade**: Sets without Knock Off, Dark Pulse or Earthquake simply cannot touch Doublade. Sucker Punch does not help against Doublade, as it can simply set(space)up Sword Dance and forces Toxicroak to win an absurd amount of 50-50s against a +6 Doublade.

**Arcanine**: Thanks to Intimidate, Swords Dance Toxicroak cannot OHKO defensive Arcanine with Gunk Shot after Stealth Rock damage. Nasty Plot CToxicroak has an easier time dealing with Arcanine, but without a boost,(AC) it won't be able to OHKO Arcanine. Offensive Arcanine revenge kills any set.

**Faster Pokemon**: Any Pokemon faster than Toxicroak that isn't OHKOed by +2 Sucker Punch or Vacuum Wave, such as Entei and Shaymin, can check Toxicroak. But note that if they are not able to OHKO Toxicroak, Drain Punch can help it regain some of the HP lost.

 

[Lumari]

remove add (Capitalize / Fix) (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2

toxicroak

[OVERVIEW]

Toxicroak's bulk is not particularly good, (AC) and it lacks the raw power to be a threat without setting up; (SC) however, it is an important Pokemon in the UnderUsed tier thanks to the combination of its unique typing, Dry Skin, (AC) and its ability to threaten common defensive cores. Toxicroak's resistance to common attacking types (RC) such as Dark, Fighting, (AC, remove hyphens) and Rock-type, (RC) and its immunity to Water-type moves improves massively its ability to switch in (remove hyphen) and set(space)up massively. Additionally, Toxicroak's movepool allows it to work as either a physical or a special sweeper, which makes it fairly versatile and unpredictable. (period)

[SET]

name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Low Kick
move 4: Sucker Punch / Ice Punch / Knock Off
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to allow it to break through defensive Pokemon. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's (apostrophe) main STAB move (RC) because it hits extremely hard, especially at +2, and the 30% poison chance can be used to try to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks before attempting to sweep. Drain Punch is a decent secondary STAB, as it provides good coverage with Gunk Shot and helps Toxicroak stay alive for longer in certain scenarios. Alternatively, (AC) Low Kick can be used to hit Pokemon such as Mega Aggron and Swampert significantly harder. Sucker Punch makes Toxicroak harder to revenge kill and it provides useful coverage combined with its STAB moves. Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to hit Pokemon such as Gligar, Nidoqueen, (AC) and Salamence for super effective damage. Knock Off helps against Cresselia, Reuniclus, Jellicent, (AC) and Doublade, and also it can also be used to cripple a huge portion of the metagame. Earthquake can be used is a decent option too, (AC) as it covers both Doublade and Nidoqueen (RC) and additionally at +2 (guess you can keep "additionally" if you put it between commas, but it isn't too required as far as I can see) OHKOes defensive Arcanine at +2.


Set Details
========

The EVs maximize Toxicroal's Toxicroak's Attack and Speed. A Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and Mamoswine and Speed(space)tie with Nidoking, Heracross, (AC) and offensive Suicune. However, an Adamant nature can be used to hit significantly harder, but it makes Toxicroak significantly easier to revenge kill for some Pokemon. Toxicroak needs Life Orb's power boost to help it break through through some walls, but Black Sludge can be used for slightly more longevity.

Usage Tips
========

This set should be used mainly as a wallbreaker. Analysing Analyzing the opponent's team during Team Preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can set(space)up on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon for free, and can setup as well as on offensive variants as long as it is (healthy? Otherwise remove "is and") and doesn't switch directly into their coverage moves. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught, (AC) and Mamoswine to create opportunities to set(space)up. Using Gunk Shot or Knock Off without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert, can help it sweep later on.


Team Options
========

Stealth Rock helps Toxicroak wear down the opponent's team, (AC) and a good portion of its checks are weak to them it. Swampert, Krookodile, (AC) and Bronzong can setup Stealth Rock for Toxicroak, also they make for good setters and can deal with some of its Toxicroak's checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia, (AC) and Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support makes running an Adamant nature and/or using a coverage move over Sucker Punch on Toxicroak less risky. Hydreigon can deal with some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Swampert, Reuniclus, (AC) and Doublade, and Toxicroak threatens some of Hydreigon's checks, which can be taken advantage off of with double switches or U-turn. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence in and they both learn U-turn, which means they can allowing them to create chances for Toxicroak to safely switch in and setup (RC) or to weaken some of Croak's its most important checks. Whimsicott is a good teammate for Toxicroak, because it checks Dragon-type Pokemon, Swampert, (AC) and Krookodile (RC) and with Stun Spore it can use Stun Spore to cripple some of the checks it shares with Toxicroak, such as Crobat and Mega Aerodactyl.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Sludge Bomb / Sludge Wave
move 3: Vacuum Wave / Focus Blast
move 4: Dark Pulse / Hidden Power Ice / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Nasty Plot boosts Toxicroak's Special Attack, which helps it beat some defensive Pokemon. Sludge Bomb is a strong, reliable STAB move that has a nice 30% poison chance, which can be used to wear down Toxicroak's checks and counters. Sludge Wave is slightly stronger, but it only has 10% chance of poisoning. Vacuum Wave is mainly used for its priority, (AC) and thanks to it, preventing Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Krookodile cannot reliable from checking this set reliably. Dark Pulse hits Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon that either are either bulky enough to easily handle Toxicroak's STAB moves or are immune to them, such as Cresselia, Reuniclus, (AC) and Doublade; (SC) however, (AC) the former easily survives a +2 Dark Pulse if healthy. (double space) Hidden Power Ice allows Toxicroak to break through Gligar and Nidoqueen, who resists which resist both of its STAB types and are bulky enough to handle Dark Pulse, and can OHKO Salamence if caught switching in. Focus Blast is by far Toxicroak's strongest move; (SC) at +2, Focus Blast it OHKOes Swampert, Porygon2, Snorlax, (AC) and even Blissey after Stealth Rock damage (RC) and it does massive damage even to anything that resists it. However, 70% acc its low accuracy makes Focus Blast fairly unreliable, (AC) and Toxicroak lacks the bulk to reliably deal with misses.

Set Details
========

The EVs maximize Toxicroal's Toxicroak's Special Attack and Speed. A Timid nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and Speed(space)tie with Nidoking, Heracross, (AC) and offensive Suicune. However, if you aren't worried about those Pokemon, a Modest nature can be used to boost Toxicroak's power. Life Orb's boost helps Toxicroak break through defensive Pokemon such as Reuniclus and Snorlax, but Black Sludge can be used to increase its longevity.


Usage Tips
========


The main purpose of this set is wallbreaking; (SC) however, considering the Swords Dance sets are is significantly more common, this Toxicroak set can be used as a lure for Doublade, Reuniclus, (AC) or physical walls in general. Analyzing the opponent's team during Team Preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can set(space)up on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon and Umbreon for free, and if played carefully, (AC) it can set(space)up on offensive Water-types too. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught, (AC) and Mamoswine to create opportunities to set(space)up. Using Sludge Bomb without setting up to wear down some Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia, can help it sweep later on.


Team Options
========

Stealth Rock helps Toxicroak break through the opponent's team and they help it wear wears down some of its checks, such as Crobat and Salamence. Swampert, Krookodile, (AC) and Bronzong can set(space)up Stealth Rock to support Toxicroak, they can deal with some of its checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia and, (AC) Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support reduces the risk of running Modest nature and makes it easier for Toxicroak to drop Vacuum Wave for Focus Blast. Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Lucario and Mienshao, can work alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of its ability to wear down or beat Pokemon such as Doublade, Reuniclus, (AC) and Cresselia. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence in and they both learn U-turn, which means they can allowing them to create chances for Toxicroak to safely switch in and set(space)up (RC) or to weaken some of Croak's its most important checks.

[SET]
name: Bulky Croak
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Ice Punch
item: Black Sludge
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to (....), which is necessary to break through defensive cores. Drain Punch is the main attacking move of this set, because when combined with the bulk investment and Swords Dance, Toxicroak's longevity increases drastically. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's secondary STAB move and its strongest move. Sucker Punch is for priority, which is extremely important on a set as slow as this one. Alternatively, (AC) Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to beat Gligar and punish Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Salamence trying to switch in (remove hyphen) for free, (AC) while Knock Off is good against Pokemon such as Doublade, Cresselia, (AC) and Reuniclus (RC) and allows Toxicroak to cripple most of the Pokemon that switch into it.


Set Details
========

The given EVs maximize Toxicroak's Attack and give it a good amount of bulk. The HP EVs investment drastically improves Toxicroak's ability to deal with or switch into certain Pokemon, such as offensive Suicune, Mega Blastoise, (comma) Mega Sharpedo, Feraligatr, (AC) and Florges. Additionally, the increased bulk combined with Drain Punch and Swords Dance makes it really hard for some passive teams to defeat Toxicroak. An EV spread with more Speed investment in order to outspeed specific threats, such as Gligar, Cresselia, (AC) and Nidoqueen, can be used, but it's not advised to spend invest too many EVs in that stat, because this sets needs the bulk to work properly. Should Speed be an issue, you're better off using Toxicroak's standard an offensive Swords Dance set. (AP)

Usage Tips
========

This set might be called Bulky Croak, but even with the HP investment, (AC) Toxicroak is relatively frail. However, this set works is because of Toxicroak's unique set of resistances, ability to remove Toxic Spikes, and Dry Skin. This set should be used mainly in offensive teams that need help dealing with threats such as Suicune and Mega Sharpedo. Bulky Croak has significantly more longevity than the other sets, that which is important because as long as Toxicroak it'll passively threaten the opponent's team, as they will not be able to use by deterring them from using Water-type moves recklessly. Gunk shot or Knock Off can be used without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert.


Team Options
========

A significant amount number of Toxicroak's checks and counters are weak to Stealth Rock, so Pokemon that can set them it up, such as Mamoswine and Swampert, are good teammates. This set struggles against Ground-type Pokemon, so running Pokemon that can play around them to help Toxicroak, such as Hydreigon and Whimsicott, is advised. Most sweepers threatened by Scald or Water-type moves work well alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of Croak's its ability to deal with some Water-type Pokemon and the fact deter the opponent cannot use from using Scald without risks as long as it lives. Some of these sweepers are Mega Swampert, Lucario, (AC) and Mega Sharpedo.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
=============

Salac Berry Toxicroak, with Nasty Plot and either Substitute or Endure, (AC) is one of the few Pokemon that can successfully use Belch; (SC) however, setting up a sweep with this set requires a significant amount of support, (AC) and even at +1 Speed, Toxicroak isn't hard to revenge kill. Bulky Croak can use Bulk Up over Swords Dance, but the latter is significantly more reliable on in most common scenarios. Toxicroak can use Taunt to stop Pokemon such as Cresselia and Doublade from healing or setting up, but it heavily relies on prediction because these Pokemon can threaten Croak Toxicroak with their STAB moves.


Checks and Counters
===================

**Cresselia**: Toxicroak cannot OHKO Cresselia with any move, not even at +2 with Life Orb boost, and Psychic will always OHKO. (RP)

**Crobat**: Crobat resists Toxicroak's STAB types, and if healthy, (AC) it survives both Ice Punch and Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock damage, which means Crobat can easily Roost off damage from unboosted Toxicroak's attacks and OHKO it with Brave Bird or Acrobatics. Note that +2 Sucker Punch doesn't kill Crobat after Stealth Rock, but does enough for Brave Bird recoil to finish off it off, which allows Toxicroak to trade kills to support its team.

**Salamence**: Salamence easily survives any move besides Life Orb-boosted (add hyphen)Ice Punch or Hidden Power Ice. Additionally, Salamence combination of Speed, Intimidate, (AC) and and power means it easily revenge kills Toxicroak.

**Ground-type Pokemon**: Physical Toxicroak sets cannot OHKO defensive Swampert with anything, (AC) and Earthquake Swampert easily KOes it with Earthquake. Gligar walls any set without Ice-type coverage; (SC) however, Knock Off cripples it. Nidoqueen is bulky enough to deal with any set without Ice-type coverage or Earthquake, and Earth Power it OHKOes Toxicroak with Earth Power. Krookodile can switch into any non-Fighting STAB move, has Intimidate, (AC) and resists Sucker Punch, but Vacuum Wave from the Nasty Plot set can KO at +2 or if Krookodile has taken previous damage. (RP) Mamoswine and Nidoking easily check Bulky Croak, as they are faster and easily survive +2 Sucker Punch.

**Doublade**: Sets without Knock Off, Dark Pulse, (AC) or Earthquake simply cannot touch Doublade. Sucker Punch does not help against Doublade, as it can simply set(space)up Swords Dance, (AC) and forces forcing Toxicroak to win an absurd amount number of 50-50s against a +6 Doublade.

**Arcanine**: Thanks to Intimidate, Swords Dance Toxicroak cannot OHKO defensive Arcanine with Gunk Shot after Stealth Rock damage. Nasty Plot Toxicroak has an easier time dealing with Arcanine, but without a boost, (AC) it won't be able to OHKO. Offensive Arcanine revenge kills any set.

**Fast Pokemon**: Any Pokemon faster than Toxicroak that isn't OHKOed by +2 Sucker Punch or Vacuum Wave, such as Entei and or Shaymin, can check Toxicroak. But However, (AC) note that if they are not able to OHKO Toxicroak, Drain Punch can help it regain some of the HP lost.

used a bunch of kt3's edits too :]

 

[Saria]

OK my body has been trying it's hardest to dehydrate itself, so I haven't been able to do anything in the past 48 hours. I'll get this done whenever I'm not dying

 

[marzikin]

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[OVERVIEW]

Toxicroak's bulk is not particularly good and it lacks the raw power to be a threat without setting up, however, it is an important Pokemon in the UnderUsed UU tier. This is (this sounded like a run on sentence) thanks to the combination of unique typing, Dry Skin and its ability to threaten common defensive cores. Toxicroak's resistance to common attacking types, such as Dark-, Fighting- and Rock-type, and immunity to Water-type moves massively improves massively its ability to switch-in and setup. Additionally, Toxicroak's movepool allows it to work as either a physical or special sweeper, which makes it fairly versatile and unpredictable.

[SET]

name: Sword Dance
move 1: Sword Dance
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Low Kick
move 4: Sucker Punch / Ice Punch / Knock Off
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Sword Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to allow it to break through defensive Pokemon. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's main STAB move, because it hits extremely hard, especially at +2, and the 30% poison chance can be used to try to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks before attempting to sweep. Drain Punch is a decent secondary STAB, as it provides good coverage and helps Toxicroak stay alive for longer in certain scenarios. Low Kick can be used to hit Pokemon such as Mega Aggron and Swampert significantly harder. Sucker Punch makes Toxicroak harder to revenge kill and it provides useful coverage combined with its STABs. Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to hit Pokemon such as Gligar, Nidoqueen and Salamence for super effective damage. Knock Off helps against Cresselia, Reuniclus, Jellicent and Doublade, and also it can be used to cripple a huge portion of the metagame. Earthquake can be used as it covers both Doublade and Nidoqueen, and additionally at +2 OHKOes Defensive Arcanine.


Set Details
========

The suggested EV spread maximizes Toxicroak's Attack and Speed. Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and Mamoswine and speedtie with Nidoking, Heracross and offensive Suicune. However, Adamant nature can be used to hit significantly harder, but it makes Toxicroak significantly easier to revenge kill for some Pokemon. Toxicroak needs Life Orb boost to help it break through through some walls, but Black Sludge can be used for slightly more longevity.

Usage Tips
========

This set should be used mainly as a wallbreaker. Analysing the opponent's team during team preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can setup on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon for free, and can setup on offensive variants as long as it is and doesn't switch directly into their coverage moves. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught and Mamoswine to create opportunities to setup. Using Gunk Shot or Knock Off without setting up to wear down some Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert, can help it sweep later on.


Team Options
========

Stealth Rock help Toxicroak wear down the opponent's team and a good portion of its checks are weak to them. Swampert, Krookodile and Bronzong can setup Stealth Rock for Toxicroak, also they can deal with some of its checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia and Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support makes running Adamant nature and/or using a coverage move over Sucker Punch on Toxicroak less risky. Hydreigon can deal with some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Swampert, Reuniclus and Doublade, and Toxicroak threatens some of Hydreigon's checks, which can be taken advantage off with double switches or U-turn. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence in and they both learn U-turn, which means they can create chances for Toxicroak safely switch in and setup, or weaken some of Croak's most important checks. (I removed two of the commas because it sounded like a run on) Whimsicott is a good teammate for Toxicroak, because it checks Dragon-type Pokemon, Swampert and Krookodile, and with Stun Spore it can cripple some of the checks it shares with Toxicroak, such as Crobat and Mega Aerodactyl.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Sludge Bomb / Sludge Wave
move 3: Vacuum Wave / Focus Blast
move 4: Dark Pulse / Hidden Power Ice / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Nasty Plot boosts Toxicroak's Special Attack, which helps it beat some defensive Pokemon. Sludge Bomb is a strong, reliable STAB that has a nice 30% poison chance, which can be used to wear down Toxicroak's checks and counters. Sludge Wave is slightly stronger, but it only has 10% chance of poisoning. Vacuum Wave is mainly priority and thanks to it, Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Krookodile cannot reliable check this set. Dark Pulse hits Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon that are either bulky enough to easily handle Toxicroak's STABs or are immune to them, such as Cresselia, Reuniclus and Doublade, however the former easily survives +2 Dark Pulse if healthy. Hidden Power Ice allows Toxicroak to break through Gligar and Nidoqueen, who resists both of its STABs and are bulky enough to handle Dark Pulse, and can OHKO Salamence if caught switching in. Focus Blast is by far Toxicroak's strongest move. At +2, Focus Blast OHKOs Swampert, Porygon2, Snorlax and even Blissey after Stealth Rock damage, and it does massive damage to anything that resist it. However, 70% acc makes Focus Blast fairly unreliable and Toxicroak lacks the bulk to reliably deal with misses.

Set Details
========

The given EV spread maximizes Toxicroak's Special Attack and Speed. Timid nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and speedtie with Nidoking, Heracross and offensive Suicune. However, if you aren't worried about those Pokemon, Modest nature can be used to boost Toxicroak's power. Life Orb's boost helps Toxicroak break through defensive Pokemon such as Reuniclus and Snorlax, but Black Sludge can be used to increase its longevity.


Usage Tips
========


The main purpose of this set is wallbreaking, however, considering the Sword Dance set is significantly more common, this Toxicroak set can be used as a lure for Doublade, Reuniclus or physical walls in general. Analyzing the opponent's team during team preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can setup on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon and Umbreon for free, and if played carefully can setup on offensive Water-types. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught and Mamoswine to create opportunities to setup. Using Sludge Bomb without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia, can help it sweep later on.


Team Options
========

Stealth Rock help Toxicroak break through the opponent's team and they help it wear down some of its checks, such as Crobat and Salamence. Swampert, Krookodile and Bronzong can setup Stealth Rock to support Toxicroak, they can deal with some of its checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia and Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support reduces the risk of running Modest nature and makes it easier for Toxicroak to drop Vacuum Wave for Focus Blast. Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Lucario and Mienshao, can work alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of its ability to wear down or beat Pokemon such as Doublade, Reuniclus and Cresselia. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence in and they both learn U-turn, which means they can create chances for Toxicroak safely switch in and setup, or weaken some of Croak's most important checks.

[SET]
name: Bulky Croak
move 1: Sword Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Ice Punch
item: Black Sludge
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Sword Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to, which is necessary to break through defensive cores. Drain Punch is the main attacking move of this, because when combined with the bulk investment and Sword Dance, Toxicroak's longevity increases drastically. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's secondary STAB move and its strongest move. Sucker Punch is for priority, which is extremely important on a set as slow as this one. Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to beat Gligar and punish Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Salamence trying to switch-in for free. Knock Off is good against Pokemon such as Doublade, Cresselia and Reuniclus, and allows Toxicroak to cripple most of the Pokemon that switch into it.


Set Details
========

The given EVs maximize Toxicroak's Attack and give it a good amount of bulk. The HP EVs investment drastically improves Toxicroak's ability to deal with or switch into certain Pokemon, such as offensive Suicune, Mega Blastoise. Mega Sharpedo, Feraligatr and Florges. Additionally, the increased bulk combined with Drain Punch and Sword Dance makes it really hard for some passive teams to defeat Toxicroak. An EV spread with more Speed investment in order to outspeed specific threats, such as Gligar, Cresselia and Nidoqueen, can be used, but it's not advised to spend too many EVs in that stat, because this sets needs the bulk to work properly. Should Speed be an issue, you're better off using Toxicroak's standard Sword Dance set. (no period here)

Usage Tips
========

This set might be called Bulky Croak, but even with the HP investment Toxicroak is relatively frail. However, this set works is because of Toxicroak's unique resistances, ability to remove Toxic Spikes, and Dry Skin. This set should be used mainly in offensive teams that need help dealing with threats such as Suicune and Mega Sharpedo. Bulky Croak has significantly more longevity than the other sets, that which is important because as long as Toxicroak it'll is in it will passively threaten the opponent's team, as they will not be able to use Water-type moves recklessly. Gunk Shot (capitalization) or Knock Off can be used without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert.


Team Options
========

A significant amount of Toxicroak's checks and counters are weak to Stealth Rock, so Pokemon that can set them up, such as Mamoswine and Swampert, are good teammates. This set struggles against Ground-type Pokemon, so running Pokemon that can play around them to help Toxicroak, such Hydreigon and Whimsicott, is advised. Most sweepers threatened by Scald or Water-type moves work well alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of Croak's ability to deal with some Water-type Pokemon and the fact the opponent cannot use Scald without risks as long as it lives. Some of these sweepers are Mega Swampert, Lucario and Mega Sharpedo.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
=============

Salac Berry Toxicroak, (unnecessary comma) with Nasty Plot and either Substitute or Endure is one of the few Pokemon that can successfully use Belch, however, setting up a sweep with this set requires a significant amount of support and even at +1 Speed, Toxicroak isn't hard to revenge kill. Bulky Croak can use Bulk Up over Sword Dance, but the latter is significantly more reliable on most common scenarios. Toxicroak can use Taunt to stop Pokemon such as Cresselia and Doublade from healing or setting up, but it heavily relies on prediction because these Pokemon can threaten Croak with their STABs moves.


Checks and Counters
===================

**Cresselia**: Toxicroak cannot OHKO Cresselia with any move, not even at +2 with Life Orb boost, and Psychic will always OHKO.. (unnecessary period)

**Crobat**: Crobat resists Toxicroak's STABs, if healthy it survives both Ice Punch and Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock damage, which means Crobat can easily Roost off damage from unboosted Toxicroak and OHKO with Brave Bird or Acrobatic. Note that +2 Sucker Punch doesn't kill Crobat after Stealth Rock, but does enough for Brave Bird recoil to finish off it off, which allows Toxicroak to trade kills to support its team.

**Salamence**: Salamence easily survives any move besides Life Orb boosted Ice Punch or Hidden Power Ice. Additionally, Salamence's combination of Speed, Intimidate and and power means it easily revenge kills Toxicroak.

**Ground-type Pokemon**: Physical Toxicroak sets cannot OHKO defensive Swampert with anything and Earthquake easily KOes. Gligar walls any set without Ice-type coverage, however, Knock Off cripples it. Nidoqueen is bulky enough to deal with any set without Ice-type coverage or Earthquake, and Earth Power OHKOes Toxicroak. Krookodile can switch into any non-Fighting STAB move, has Intimidate and resists Sucker Punch, but Vacuum Wave from the Nasty Plot set can KO at +2 or if Krookodile has taken previous damage.. Mamoswine and Nidoking easily check Bulky Croak, as they are faster and easily survive +2 Sucker Punch.

**Doublade**: Sets without Knock Off, Dark Pulse or Earthquake simply cannot touch Doublade. Sucker Punch does not help against Doublade, as it can simply setup Sword Dance and forces Toxicroak to win an absurd amount of 50-50s against a +6 Doublade.

**Arcanine**: Thanks to Intimidate, Sword Dance Toxicroak cannot OHKO defensive Arcanine with Gunk Shot after Stealth Rock damage. Nasty Plot Croak has an easier time dealing with Arcanine, but without a boost it won't be able to OHKO. Offensive Arcanine revenge kills any set.

**Fast Pokemon**: Any Pokemon faster than Toxicroak that isn't OHKOed by +2 Sucker Punch or Vacuum Wave, such as Entei and Shaymin, can check Toxicroak. But note that if they are not able to OHKO Toxicroak, Drain Punch can help it regain some of the HP lost.

 

[Mr. Uncompetitive]

k so apparently Toxicroak wasn't 2/2 yet so I guess I'll just wait till Plumberjack's check is implemented :x

 

[Saria]

I'm not dying anymore, and since I'm awake because a piece of shit broke into my sister's car at 2:30 am and I had to wake up to deal with that bullshit, I decided to implement all the changes.

It's 1/2 now

real life is fun

 

[P Squared]

Use the Reply button on my post to implement this check.
It's easier for you (wayyy faster and more accurate than manually fixing everything).
It's easier for me (I won't have to CMS edit the uploaded analysis when I see that edits were not implemented correctly).
thanks
hope your sister's stuff is ok

GP 2/2
add (COMMA) remove (COMMA) comment

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Toxicroak's bulk is not particularly good, and it lacks the raw power to be a threat without setting up; however, it is an important Pokemon in the UnderUsed tier thanks to the combination of its unique typing, Dry Skin, and its ability to threaten common defensive cores. Toxicroak's resistance to common attacking types such as Dark, Fighting, and Rock, (REMOVE COMMA) and its immunity to Water-type moves improve its ability to switch in and set up massively. Additionally, Toxicroak's movepool allows it to work as either a physical or a special sweeper, which makes it fairly versatile and unpredictable.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Low Kick
move 4: Sucker Punch / Ice Punch / Knock Off
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to allow it to break through defensive Pokemon. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's main STAB move because it hits extremely hard, especially at +2, and the 30% poison chance can be used to try to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks before attempting to sweep. Drain Punch provides good coverage with Gunk Shot and helps Toxicroak stay alive for longer in certain scenarios. Alternatively, Low Kick can be used to hit Pokemon such as Mega Aggron and Swampert significantly harder. Sucker Punch makes Toxicroak harder to revenge kill and provides useful coverage combined with its STAB moves. Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to hit Pokemon such as Gligar, Nidoqueen, and Salamence for super effective damage. Knock Off helps against Cresselia, Reuniclus, Jellicent, and Doublade, and it can also be used to cripple a huge portion of the metagame. Earthquake can be used, (ADD COMMA) as it covers both Doublade and Nidoqueen and OHKOes defensive Arcanine at +2.

Set Details
========

The EVs maximize Toxicroak's Attack and Speed. A Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and Mamoswine and Speed tie with Nidoking, Heracross, and offensive Suicune. However, an Adamant nature can be used to hit significantly harder, but it also makes Toxicroak significantly easier to revenge kill. Toxicroak needs Life Orb's power boost to help it break through some walls, but Black Sludge can be used for slightly more longevity.

Usage Tips
========

This set should be used mainly as a wallbreaker. Analyzing the opponent's team during Team Preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can set up on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon for free, and as well as on offensive variants as long as it is healthy and doesn't switch directly into their coverage moves. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught, and Mamoswine to create opportunities to set up. Using Gunk Shot or Knock Off without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert, can help it sweep later on.

Team Options
========

Stealth Rock helps Toxicroak wear down the opponent's team., (ADD COMMA) and a good portion of its checks are weak to it. Swampert, Krookodile, and Bronzong make for good setters and can deal with some of Toxicroak's checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia, and Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support makes running an Adamant nature and using a coverage move over Sucker Punch on Toxicroak less risky. Hydreigon can deal with some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Swampert, Reuniclus, and Doublade, and Toxicroak threatens some of Hydreigon's checks, which can be taken advantage of with double switches or U-turn. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates for Toxicroak, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence and they both learn U-turn, allowing them to create chances for Toxicroak to safely switch in and set up or tp to weaken some of its most important checks. Whimsicott is a good teammate for Toxicroak, because it checks Dragon-type Pokemon, Swampert, and Krookodile, (REMOVE COMMA) and can use Stun Spore to cripple some of the checks it shares with Toxicroak, such as Crobat and Mega Aerodactyl.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Sludge Bomb / Sludge Wave
move 3: Vacuum Wave / Focus Blast
move 4: Dark Pulse / Hidden Power Ice / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Nasty Plot boosts Toxicroak's Special Attack, which helps it beat some defensive Pokemon. Sludge Bomb is a strong, reliable STAB move that has a nice 30% poison chance, which can be used to wear down Toxicroak's checks and counters. Sludge Wave is slightly stronger, but it only has a 10% chance of poisoning. Vacuum Wave is mainly used for its priority, preventing Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Krookodile from checking this set reliably. Dark Pulse hits Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon that either are bulky enough to easily handle Toxicroak's STAB moves or are immune to them, such as Cresselia, Reuniclus, and Doublade; however, (ADD COMMA) the former easily survives a +2 Dark Pulse if healthy. Hidden Power Ice allows Toxicroak to break through Gligar and Nidoqueen, which resists resist both of its STABs types and are bulky enough to handle Dark Pulse, and can OHKO Salamence if it is caught switching in. Focus Blast is by far Toxicroak's strongest move; at +2, it OHKOes Swampert, Porygon2, Snorlax, and even Blissey after Stealth Rock damage and does massive damage to anything that doesn't resist it. However, its low accuracy makes it Focus Blast fairly unreliable, and Toxicroak lacks the bulk to reliably deal with misses.

Set Details
========

The EVs maximize Toxicroak's Special Attack and Speed. A Timid nature is necessary to outspeed Chandelure and Speed tie with Nidoking, Heracross, (ADD COMMA) and offensive Suicune. However, if you aren't worried about those Pokemon, A a Modest nature can be used to boost Toxicroak's power. Life Orb's boost helps Toxicroak break through defensive Pokemon such as Reuniclus and Snorlax, but Black Sludge can be used to increase its longevity.

Usage Tips
========

The main purpose of this set is wallbreaking,; (ADD SEMICOLON) however, considering Swords Dance sets are significantly more common, this Toxicroak set can be used as a lure for Doublade, Reuniclus, (ADD COMMA) or physical walls in general. Analyzing the opponent's team during Team Preview is important, as this allows you to find setup opportunities for Toxicroak and helps you decide how to proceed. Toxicroak can set up on most defensive bulky Water-type Pokemon and Umbreon for free, and if played carefully, it can set up on offensive Water-types too. Additionally, Toxicroak can scare away Pokemon such as Florges, Chesnaught, and Mamoswine to create opportunities to set up. Using Sludge Bomb without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's counters, such as Cresselia, can help it sweep later on.

Team Options
========

Stealth Rock helps Toxicroak break through the opponent's team and wears down some of its checks, such as Crobat and Salamence. Swampert, Krookodile, and Bronzong can set up Stealth Rock to support Toxicroak, they can deal with some of its checks, such as Crobat, Cresselia, (ADD COMMA) and Mega Aerodactyl, and they appreciate Toxicroak's immunity to Scald. Sticky Web support reduces the risk of running a Modest nature and makes it easier for Toxicroak to drop Vacuum Wave for Focus Blast. Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Lucario and Mienshao, can work alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of its ability to wear down or beat Pokemon such as Doublade, Reuniclus, and Cresselia. Infernape and Darmanitan are good teammates for Toxicroak, because they usually lure in Water-types and Salamence in and they both learn U-turn, allowing them to create chances for Toxicroak to safely switch in and set up or to weaken some of its most important checks.

[SET]
name: Bulky Croak
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Ice Punch
item: Black Sludge
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance boosts Toxicroak's Attack to decent levels, which is necessary to break through defensive cores. Drain Punch is the main attacking move of this set, because when it is combined with the bulk investment and Swords Dance, Toxicroak's longevity increases drastically. Gunk Shot is Toxicroak's secondary STAB move and its strongest move. Sucker Punch is for priority, which is extremely important on a set as slow as this one. Alternatively, Ice Punch allows Toxicroak to beat Gligar and punish Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Salamence trying to switch in for free, while Knock Off is good against Pokemon such as Doublade, Cresselia, and Reuniclus and allows Toxicroak to cripple most of the Pokemon that switch into it. (Ice Punch is slashed after Knock Off on the set. Either fix it on the set to match the order here or fix the sentence here to match the order on the set)

Set Details
========

The given EVs maximize Toxicroak's Attack and give it a good amount of bulk. The HP investment drastically improves Toxicroak's ability to deal with or switch into certain Pokemon, such as offensive Suicune, Mega Blastoise, Mega Sharpedo, Feraligatr, and Florges. Additionally, the increased bulk combined with Drain Punch and Swords Dance makes it really hard for some passive teams to defeat Toxicroak. An EV spread with more Speed investment in order to outspeed specific threats, such as Gligar, Cresselia, and Nidoqueen, can be used, but it's not advised to invest too many EVs in that stat, because this sets set needs the bulk to work properly. Should Speed be an issue, you're better off using an offensive Swords Dance set. (ADD PERIOD)

Usage Tips
========

This set might be called Bulky Croak, but even with the HP investment, Toxicroak is relatively frail. However, this set works because of Toxicroak's unique set of resistances, ability to remove Toxic Spikes, and Dry Skin. This set should be used mainly in on offensive teams that need help dealing with threats such as Suicune and Mega Sharpedo. Bulky Croak has significantly more longevity than the other sets, which is important because as long as Toxicroak has not fainted, it'll passively threaten the opponent's team by deterring them from using Water-type moves recklessly. Gunk Shot or Knock Off can be used without setting up to wear down some of Toxicroak's checks and counters, such as Cresselia and Swampert.

Team Options
========

A significant number of Toxicroak's checks and counters are weak to Stealth Rock, so Pokemon that can set it up, such as Mamoswine and Swampert, are good teammates. This set struggles against Ground-type Pokemon, so running Pokemon that can play around them to help Toxicroak, such as Hydreigon and Whimsicott, is advised. Most sweepers threatened by Scald or Water-type moves work well alongside Toxicroak, as they can take advantage of its ability to deal with some Water-type Pokemon and deter the opponent from using Scald as long as it has not fainted lives. Some of these sweepers are Mega Swampert, Lucario, and Mega Sharpedo.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Salac Berry Toxicroak, with Nasty Plot and either Substitute or Endure, is one of the few Pokemon that can successfully use Belch; however, setting up a sweep with this set requires a significant amount of support, and even at +1 Speed, Toxicroak isn't hard to revenge kill. Bulky Croak can use Bulk Up over Swords Dance, but the latter is significantly more reliable in most common scenarios. Toxicroak can use Taunt to stop Pokemon such as Cresselia and Doublade from healing or setting up, but it heavily relies on prediction because these Pokemon can threaten Toxicroak with their STAB moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Cresselia**: Toxicroak cannot OHKO Cresselia with any move, not even at +2 with a Life Orb boost, and Psychic will always OHKO it in return.

**Crobat**: Crobat resists Toxicroak's STAB types, and if healthy it survives both Ice Punch and Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock damage, which means Crobat can easily Roost off damage from unboosted Toxicroak's attacks and OHKO it with Brave Bird or Acrobatics. Note that +2 Sucker Punch doesn't kill KO Crobat after Stealth Rock, (REMOVE COMMA) but does enough for Brave Bird recoil to finish off it off, which allows Toxicroak to trade kills KOs to support its team.

**Salamence**: Salamence easily survives any move besides Life Orb-boosted Ice Punch or Hidden Power Ice. Additionally, Salamence's combination of Speed, Intimidate, and power means it easily revenge kills Toxicroak.

**Ground-type Pokemon**: Physical Toxicroak sets cannot OHKO defensive Swampert with anything, and Swampert easily KOes it with Earthquake. Gligar walls any set without Ice-type coverage; however, Knock Off cripples it. Nidoqueen is bulky enough to deal with any set without Ice-type coverage or Earthquake, and it OHKOes Toxicroak with Earth Power. Krookodile can switch into any non-Fighting-type STAB move, has Intimidate, and resists Sucker Punch, but Vacuum Wave from the Nasty Plot set can KO at +2 or if Krookodile has taken previous damage. Mamoswine and Nidoking easily check Bulky Croak, as they are faster and easily survive +2 Sucker Punch.

**Doublade**: Sets without Knock Off, Dark Pulse, or Earthquake simply cannot touch Doublade. Sucker Punch does not help against Doublade, as it can simply set up Swords Dance, forcing Toxicroak to win an absurd number of 50-50s against a +6 Doublade in order to do anything.

**Arcanine**: Thanks to Intimidate, Swords Dance Toxicroak cannot OHKO defensive Arcanine with Gunk Shot after Stealth Rock damage. Nasty Plot Toxicroak has an easier time dealing with Arcanine, but without a boost, it won't be able to OHKO. Offensive Arcanine revenge kills any set.

**Fast Pokemon**: Any Pokemon faster than Toxicroak that isn't OHKOed by +2 Sucker Punch or Vacuum Wave, such as Entei or Shaymin, can check Toxicroak. However, note that if they are not able to OHKO Toxicroak, Drain Punch can help it regain some of the HP lost.

also sorry mr. u but it looks like you're working on thundurus now so i just took this over

 

[Saria]

k done